James, 57, died Thursday in a plane crash in North Carolina. Carrie Underwood remembers 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' songwriter Brett James: 'Love you, man'

James, 57, died Thursday in a plane crash in North Carolina.

Carrie Underwood remembers 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' songwriter Brett James: 'Love you, man'

James, 57, died Thursday in a plane crash in North Carolina.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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September 19, 2025 8:05 p.m. ET

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Carrie Underwood is paying tribute to Brett James. Credit:

Terry Wyatt/Getty; Rick Diamond/Getty

Carrie Underwood shared a heartfelt reaction Friday to the death of Brett James, who wrote several of her hit songs.

"Love you, man," she wrote, in part. "I'll see you again someday."**

James, 57, was one of three people killed Thursday when a small-engine plane, which was registered to James, crashed near Franklin, N.C.

Underwood's message, which she wrote alongside several photos of herself with James from as far back as 2005, began, "Some things are just unfathomable. The loss of Brett James to his family, friends and our music community is too great to put into words."

In addition to her beloved spiritual hit, James contributed to other Underwood hits including "Cowboy Casanova" and "Something in the Water."

The *American Idol* alum noted that James had been "the epitome of 'cool.'"

She wrote, "I see him in my mind riding up to my cabins to write on his motorcycle...his hair somehow perfectly coiffed despite being under a helmet for however long. I always loved hearing him sing 'Cowboy Casanova' because a sassy girl anthem should've sounded ridiculous coming from a macho dude like him, but somehow, he even made that cool."

He was also, she said, just a "good guy," always generous about sharing a credit, even when she felt that he deserved it all.

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"I remember writing with him on a song that he basically wrote 75% of and had ready when he walked in the room," Underwood reminisced. "We filled in the blanks and added a little melody and I told him after that I didn't feel right splitting the credit evenly when he did most of the work. He wouldn't have it. He insisted that everything be equal. He was just that kind of guy."

The two had a strong sense of faith in common.

"Brett loved the Lord. Which is the only comfort we can hold on to now," Underwood continued. "We even had the pleasure of singing together at church. My favorite songs to sing of ours are the ones that he or we wrote about Jesus because the thoughts and feelings behind them are so genuine and pure. I won't ever sing one note of them again without thinking of him."**

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Underwood said that James' death was "leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won't ever go away."

She asked that others recognize that "each day is a gift," and pray for his family and friends.**

In addition to Underwood, James, who was a singer himself, worked with country music artists such as Faith Hill, Martina McBride, and Kenny Chesney — about 300 songs in all — in a career that spanned two decades. He won a Grammy for "Jesus, Take the Wheel" in the Best Country Song category and was nominated for Song of the Year.

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